The very first day I walked into work at Lianain Films, I had expected a quiet, sedate day of light work and settling in. What I got, instead, was James dropping a suitcase at my feet, filled with lights and tangled wires. “We need to pack these lights properly, we have to shoot an interview in 30 minutes!”

From that moment on, the past two years at Lianain Films has been a rollercoaster of adventures.

On a shoot in the Philippines, right in the middle of two typhoons.

I’ve ridden in rickety CNGs through the streets of Dhaka. I’ve sat on a boat puttering down the Khulna River with the wind in my face. I’ve met families in Bogor and Kuala Lumpur with extraordinary strength and bravery in the face of great misfortune. I’ve tramped through a soggy seaside community in Subic, the aftermath of a typhoon still visible at every corner. Oh yes, and I once fell off a boat and into the mud.

In every place I’ve been with Lianain FIlms, I’ve met people, heard stories, tasted food and had experiences that I would never have had otherwise.

Of course, it isn’t just an endless party of overseas holidays. There’s hard work too, long hours (my longest record thus far is 36 hours!) and tasks that range from tedious to whimsical. On top of research and helping out on shoots I’ve done subtitling and assembly editing. I’ve filed receipts and filled in forms. I’ve also hung out with small children (to distract them from disrupting shoots) and drunk incredible amounts of tea (to satisfy interviewees’ sense of hospitality while Lynn and James set up in the other room). Right now, I am writing this post from a little room in Hong Kong’s Sham Shui Po, where I’ve been working 4pm – 7am for I-don’t-even-know-how-many-days-anymore on Lianain Films’ first feature film.

If you look through this website you can see for yourself the amazing work that Lianain Films does. The issues they highlight, the stories they tell. No one who works at Lianain Films will ever have to worry that they’re churning out meaningless products.

I’m moving on this year for travel and further study, and so Lianain Films is on the lookout for another multi-tasking Very Useful Person. If you are interested in social issues, love working in different environments and conditions and aren’t afraid of hard work, please send in your CV to contact [at] lianainfilms [dot] com

TASKS INCLUDE:
– Researching potential documentary stories
– Locating and liaising with contacts in Singapore and overseas to set up shoots
– Assisting during the shoot
– Downloading/organising footage
– Transcribing/subtitling interviews and footage
– Editing
– Basic administrative work

REQUIREMENTS:
– Must be already based in Singapore
– Spoken/written Mandarin is preferred (future projects include work in Hong Kong and China)
– Familiarity with Final Cut Pro
– Willing to work flexible hours, and travel if necessary

Cheers,
Kirsten

Riding with the gear in Bangladesh.